What are you eating and drinking tonight?

[clapton is god]

Just had a Friday afternoon pissup soiree with an old friend/work buddy at Evuna on Deansgate, Manc. Tres good nosh, and a bloody good bottle of wine to go with it. Highly recommended. A couple of snifters in The Deansgate to start and then a couple on The Knott under the bridge on Deansgate too, a place I had never heard of despite walking past many times and full of 'real ale'. Feeling very mellow!

[William the White]

Just had a Friday afternoon pissup soiree with an old friend/work buddy at Evuna on Deansgate, Manc. Tres good nosh, and a bloody good bottle of wine to go with it. Highly recommended. A couple of snifters in The Deansgate to start and then a couple on The Knott under the bridge on Deansgate too, a place I had never heard of despite walking past many times and full of 'real ale'. Feeling very mellow!

Evuna in my top three in Mancland. Excellent house red there.

Tonight we are trying out Viva Espana in Horwich. Early treat for birthday tomorrow. Eight of us on a Groupon deal.

[Prufrock]

Early Happy Birthday Will

[LeverEnd]

Just had a Friday afternoon pissup soiree with an old friend/work buddy at Evuna on Deansgate, Manc. Tres good nosh, and a bloody good bottle of wine to go with it. Highly recommended. A couple of snifters in The Deansgate to start and then a couple on The Knott under the bridge on Deansgate too, a place I had never heard of despite walking past many times and full of 'real ale'. Feeling very mellow!

Evuna in my top three in Mancland. Excellent house red there.

Tonight we are trying out Viva Espana in Horwich. Early treat for birthday tomorrow. Eight of us on a Groupon deal.

I'll be in some pub round the corner Will. I like Viva Espana, enjoy.

[Bruce Rioja]

Just had a Friday afternoon pissup soiree with an old friend/work buddy at Evuna on Deansgate, Manc. Tres good nosh, and a bloody good bottle of wine to go with it. Highly recommended. A couple of snifters in The Deansgate to start and then a couple on The Knott under the bridge on Deansgate too, a place I had never heard of despite walking past many times and full of 'real ale'. Feeling very mellow!

Evuna in my top three in Mancland. Excellent house red there.

Tonight we are trying out Viva Espana in Horwich. Early treat for birthday tomorrow. Eight of us on a Groupon deal.

I'll be in some pub round the corner Will. I like Viva Espana, enjoy.

Bobo won't.

[LeverEnd]

That's because I know how to behave myself.

[William the White]

Just had a Friday afternoon pissup soiree with an old friend/work buddy at Evuna on Deansgate, Manc. Tres good nosh, and a bloody good bottle of wine to go with it. Highly recommended. A couple of snifters in The Deansgate to start and then a couple on The Knott under the bridge on Deansgate too, a place I had never heard of despite walking past many times and full of 'real ale'. Feeling very mellow!

Evuna in my top three in Mancland. Excellent house red there.

Tonight we are trying out Viva Espana in Horwich. Early treat for birthday tomorrow. Eight of us on a Groupon deal.

I'll be in some pub round the corner Will. I like Viva Espana, enjoy.

Sorry to say, LeverEnd, it was a disappointing experience. Service dreadful. Food very varied in quality but all having only a tangential relationship to Spain. The pescaditos the worst I've ever tasted (when I think of Spanish boquerones and how delicious they are...). And the unnecessary alioli managed to destroy a promising white fish with a lemony dressing tapa. A lot of heavy sauces on food that didn't need it.

Salads were good. So were a couple of chorizo dishes. Red Rioja excellent. House white a boring Italian Pinot Grigio (don't do that in a Spanish Restaurant!).

Company was good, though.

[LeverEnd]

Just had a Friday afternoon pissup soiree with an old friend/work buddy at Evuna on Deansgate, Manc. Tres good nosh, and a bloody good bottle of wine to go with it. Highly recommended. A couple of snifters in The Deansgate to start and then a couple on The Knott under the bridge on Deansgate too, a place I had never heard of despite walking past many times and full of 'real ale'. Feeling very mellow!

Evuna in my top three in Mancland. Excellent house red there.

Tonight we are trying out Viva Espana in Horwich. Early treat for birthday tomorrow. Eight of us on a Groupon deal.

I'll be in some pub round the corner Will. I like Viva Espana, enjoy.

Sorry to say, LeverEnd, it was a disappointing experience. Service dreadful. Food very varied in quality but all having only a tangential relationship to Spain. The pescaditos the worst I've ever tasted (when I think of Spanish boquerones and how delicious they are...). And the unnecessary alioli managed to destroy a promising white fish with a lemony dressing tapa. A lot of heavy sauces on food that didn't need it.

Salads were good. So were a couple of chorizo dishes. Red Rioja excellent. House white a boring Italian Pinot Grigio (don't do that in a Spanish Restaurant!).

Company was good, though.

Delighted to hear it! Well at least it wasn't your main birthday do. I've not been for a year or more I must admit. My criticism last time was that some of the sauces were overly rich but on the whole I thought it was good. My last Tapas was at La Salsa and I was told off by my mate's Mum for not going to the 'authentic one'!

[Bruce Rioja]

Good write up on (the wonderful) San Carlo here in The Huff. Shame it's such a short article though.

Should anyone be due there, I promise you, the tagliolini lobster's that good it'll make your bollocks tingle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/william ... _hp_ref=uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LeverEnd]

Good write up on (the wonderful) San Carlo here in The Huff. Shame it's such a short article though.

Should anyone be due there, I promise you, the tagliolini lobster's that good it'll make your bollocks tingle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/william ... _hp_ref=uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers, but Tea Tree shower gel is cheaper.

[Bruce Rioja]

Good write up on (the wonderful) San Carlo here in The Huff. Shame it's such a short article though.

Should anyone be due there, I promise you, the tagliolini lobster's that good it'll make your bollocks tingle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/william ... _hp_ref=uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers, but Tea Tree shower gel is cheaper.

Tea Tree moisturiser's well worth the extra Quid or so.

[LeverEnd]

Anyway, moving on before we put people off their eating and drinking. Shall we start a new thread on it? (Cheers for the idea Tango!)

[Lord Kangana]

Just had a Friday afternoon pissup soiree with an old friend/work buddy at Evuna on Deansgate, Manc. Tres good nosh, and a bloody good bottle of wine to go with it. Highly recommended. A couple of snifters in The Deansgate to start and then a couple on The Knott under the bridge on Deansgate too, a place I had never heard of despite walking past many times and full of 'real ale'. Feeling very mellow!

Evuna in my top three in Mancland. Excellent house red there.

Tonight we are trying out Viva Espana in Horwich. Early treat for birthday tomorrow. Eight of us on a Groupon deal.

I'll be in some pub round the corner Will. I like Viva Espana, enjoy.

Sorry to say, LeverEnd, it was a disappointing experience. Service dreadful. Food very varied in quality but all having only a tangential relationship to Spain. The pescaditos the worst I've ever tasted (when I think of Spanish boquerones and how delicious they are...). And the unnecessary alioli managed to destroy a promising white fish with a lemony dressing tapa. A lot of heavy sauces on food that didn't need it.

Salads were good. So were a couple of chorizo dishes. Red Rioja excellent. House white a boring Italian Pinot Grigio (don't do that in a Spanish Restaurant!).

Company was good, though.

Did you not reduce your expectations to match the reduced price?

[William the White]

Did you not reduce your expectations to match the reduced price?

Interesting question. Should I? Is the implication that only poor restaurants do deals?

[Bruce Rioja]

Did you not reduce your expectations to match the reduced price?

Interesting question. Should I? Is the implication that only poor restaurants do deals?

I too found it an interesting question. I'd have thought that restaurants would entice people in with deals in order to impress them and have them come back at full price.

[Lord Kangana]

That's the point though, people don't return, its a complete myth that they do, on the whole they just look for the next something-for-nothing deal. Usually its places that are struggling, or stupid (and I've come across one or two of both ) that use the tactic.

In simple mathematics, if every time you walk through the door I make -1, the more of you that come the worse it gets. Ergo, you make a loss (restaurants, despite many a common misconception, are not a cash cow, the normal mark ups are only just returning a reasonably small profit).

[Gary the Enfield]

That's the point though, people don't return, its a complete myth that they do, on the whole they just look for the next something-for-nothing deal. Usually its places that are struggling, or stupid (and I've come across one or two of both ) that use the tactic.

In simple mathematics, if every time you walk through the door I make -1, the more of you that come the worse it gets. Ergo, you make a loss (restaurants, despite many a common misconception, are not a cash cow, the normal mark ups are only just returning a reasonably small profit).

Is it true to say that the wowcher deals are generally a restricted menu anyway, like Mother's Day or Christmas?

[Lord Kangana]

If they're not complete idiots, then yes. But the margins on them are still incredibly poor. Its a good way to put yourself out of business, unless you are incredibly street smart, peddle shite and probably employ illegal immigrants on illegal wages.

[thebish]

decided to experiment with making french onion soup in the slow cooker - or - more specifically - caramelising the onions in the slow-cooker overnight... dunno how the soup will turn out yet, but I woke up to a glorious aroma of caremalised onions all over the house!

[General Mannerheim]

weve got these four indian lads over from our New Dehli office on a ten week placement, they go home tomorrow so last night they cooked for a few of us homeless types. They made a daal, a veg curry and a chicken one. rice, homemade chipati and potatoes. made with their own herbs and spices brought over with them. incredible! so tasty, and quite light too - non of that thick, stodgy stuff to find in curry houses over here.

they also filled the fridge with London Pride too. was a good un!